Day 6

Love is not rude . . .
rude -- to act improperly, dishonorably, indecently.

indecently--unbecoming language, coarse

coarse--as in lacking in delicacy, lewd

lewd--preoccupied with sex and sexual desires, lust

lust--intense sexual desire or appetite, or obsessive desires

Whoa! What a "can of worms" this word opens up! I looked up indecently, which led me to coarse, which led me to lewd, which then led me to lust. All that from rude!

And, to my shame, I have shown them all. To be honest, I get confused by what is natural and normal and what is sinful desire. In trying to behave the right way I tend to go from one extreme to the other--frigid to excessive. In order to replace the lies with God's truth I need to understand what is good and of Him.

1 John 2:16 -- "For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world."

I am to be moral -- upright, honest, straightforward, open.

I am to be virtuous -- goodness, that is consciously or steadily maintained, often in spite of temptations or evil influences.

I am to be honorable -- respectable, esteemed.

But I am not perfect --

Like Paul said: "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." (Romans 7:21) "What a wretched (woman) man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24)

Jesus is my rescuer! My hero who gave his life so that I could be free and live.

"Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

I am not expressing love when I am being rude. Today I dare myself to behave in a way that is honorable and good. To trust and let Jesus be my rescuer when faced with temptations that want to show my love in a sinful way. To believe and trust in the grace and mercy that God gives to me through His holy, unwavering love.

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

Scripture to meditate on today:

"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,

not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality

and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,

and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

Romans 13:12-14

Day 5

Love is not proud . . .
proud -- to puff up, inflate, arrogant

arrogant -- having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.

overbearing -- to treat in a domineering way, over-powering, repressing, insolent.

This is getting tough. In reading the definitions I am reminded of the many, many times I have behaved proudly. This ugly attitude was reserved mostly for my husband and I am ashamed of how I treated him. I let the lie that was fed to me take root and produce bad fruit.

The truth is:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"Therefore (I ) do not let the sin reign in (my) your mortal body so that (I) you obey its evil desires." (Romans 6:12)

"For sin shall not be (my) your master because (I am) you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14)

"You (I) have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." (Romans 6:18)

I am not expressing love when I am proud. Today I dare myself to live as a child of light -- "for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth". (Ephesians 5:9)

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

Scripture to meditate on today:

"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,

but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,

in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

Romans 12:3

Day 4

Love does not boast . . .
boast -- to say or tell things which are intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things belonging to one's self; to speak with excessive pride; to blow up, puff up, swell.

In trying to assure that others do not see me as inferior, I'm sure there have been too many times that I have been prone to boast. I've purposely used showy language to make myself feel superior. In my heart, I know I didn't intentionally set out to demean another person, however, intentions aside, the result is the same -- the person is not left edified, encouraged or feeling the love I say I have for them.

Ephesians 4:29 -- "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I am not expressing love when I boast in myself. "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Galations 6:14a) Today I am daring myself to speak words that build up and inspire others. I will be careful to give God all the glory, honor and praise for everything he did, does, and will do.

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

Scriptures to meditate on today:

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that

show my weakness."

2 Corinthians 11:30

Day 3

Love does not envy . . .
envy -- to experience morally corrupt zealous ill will, to be jealous, eagerly desire, covet, as a negative attitude of lust and desire for another's possessions.

I will admit that I have experienced jealousy toward my husband. He is so at ease everywhere he is and with everyone he's around. Feelings of not being good enough or that people are going to see the things that were done to me or the things I did as a result overwhelm me so much at times I cannot be comfortable around other people. Just thinking about it makes me feel dirty. Darren knows my past and still says he loves me. I tell him he has to love me, we're married. But that's not truth. He doesn't have to love me. I praise God for creating Darren and I am humbled greatly that God chose Darren to be my husband as an example of Christ's love for me -- "this love that surpasses knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19a)

I am not expressing love when I am being jealous. Today I am daring myself to focus on the truth that I am loved. I will rebuke the destructive dialogue in my mind. I will praise God for my husband.

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

Scripture to meditate on today:

"A heart at peace gives life to the body,

but envy rots the bones."

Proverbs 14:30

Day 2

Love is kind . . .
Kind implies a sympathetic attitude toward others, and a willingness to do good or give pleasure.

Synonyms: mild, benign, gentle, tender, compassionate, forebearing, tolerant, generous, agreeable, benevolent

Benevolent -- suggests charitableness and a desire to promote the welfare or happiness of others.

I've always thought of myself as a kind person, but to be honest with myself there isn't much fruit of that. Being kind and expecting something in return is not true kindness. True kindness requires a merciful disposition and I am quick to admit I have little mercy. If I feel that I've been offended, attacked, dealt with harshly or disrespectfully there is no show of kindness or forgiveness. However, not only does this attitude not show the love of Jesus, it also hurts me: "A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself." (Proverbs 11:17)

So how do I receive the ability, the disposition, the characteristic of true kindness?

By relying on God's perfect love for me.

I am not expressing love when I am not showing kindness. Today I am daring myself to show kindness for no other reason than to express the love in my heart.

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

Scripture to meditate on today:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another,

forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Ephesians 4:32

Learning How to Love Unconditionally

Day 1

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." -- 1 John 4:18

Lord, in your abounding love, make me perfect in love.

Love is patient . . .
patient -- to exhibit internal and external control in a difficult circumstance, which control could exhibit itself by delaying an action.

I can become easily frustrated. I am guilty of taking that frustration out on others, especially those whom I say I love. I am not expressing love when I am not showing patience. Today I am daring myself to express my love by showing patience.

Scripture to meditate on today:

"Everyone should be quick to listen,

slow to speak and slow to become angry,

because man's anger does not bring about

the righteous life that God desires."

--James 1:19

Lord, in your abounding love, help me. Amen.

My First Tattoo

Well I did it! Yissiree! There it is...

The first question anyone asks is, "Did it hurt?"

and my answer is a resounding

"You Bet it Did!!!!"

I have wanted a tattoo for 20 years but I wasn't going

to get one just to have one. It needed to matter to me.

I knew it was a lifetime commitment and definitely

wanted to be sure it was what I wanted.

This tattoo means a lot to me.

It symbolizes the two anchors in my life--Jesus and Darren.

The second question I get asked is,

"Are you gonna get another one?"

I tell them it's kind of like having a baby--

In the beginning your real excited. Then as it gets closer you

get nervous and anxious. When the time comes to get it done and

you feel the pain of that first line drawn, you just want to say,

"OK! That's enough, I'm outta here!"

But you can't stop now.

You'll be left with a weird permanent mark.

So you grin and bear it and yell a bit.

Learn a few new expletives...

Once it's over you are so relieved and proud of yourself.

You lived through it!

However, the LAST thing on your mind

is to start planning your next one!